Meat slicer question

[tripleq]

For those of you that own a meat slicer, Im looking for some guidance. What size and options do you wish you got or are glad you've got? Brands to stay away from?

 

[radio]

Upper end Cabela's were good, but their $99 special not so great. I'm not much on Cabela's since bass pro bought them out. I have already seen a decline in the quality of many of the items i regularly bought and the warranty and return policy has shifted considerably more in their favor.

 

[SmokinAl]

Chefs Choice make some very good medium sized slicers. I have one & use it all the time.
I also have a 12" Torrey Commercial slicer that I use less frequently because it weighs so much, it's hard to move around & clean. But it is a joy to use, once it's on the counter & ready to go it cuts meat & cheese perfectly. From thick slices to shaving roast beef. The one bad thing about the smaller slicers is there is no blade cover, so when you slice something the meat wants to ride up the blade when you pull it back. Also the big slicers come with blade sharpeners built in. You can check CL in your area & you might find a Hobart or Berkel commercial used for a good price. Just make sure the blade is good & the sharpening stones are not worn out. Both of these items are fairly expensive to replace.
Al

 

[Lonzinomaker]

I have a 12 in Berkel manual slicer. Bought on Craigslist for $300. Watched for a year to find a commercial slicer in good shape with sharpeners, etc and in my price range. The slicer isn't so heavy that I can't move it around, but it is fairly large. I put mine on a cart for storage and to move around.
I do a lot of bacon, and the 12 in will slice all the slabs I make without any trimming. I don't think a 10 inch would do that.
For my use, a prosumer or homeowner model slicer wasn't worth the money, I'm very happy that I waited until I found my used commercial slicer.

 

[tripleq]

Thanks guys, I was flip flopping between a used one from CL or a new one from Lisa at vacuumsealersunlimited.com

 

[rexster314]

I have a 12 in Berkel manual slicer. Bought on Craigslist for $300. Watched for a year to find a commercial slicer in good shape with sharpeners, etc and in my price range. The slicer isn't so heavy that I can't move it around, but it is fairly large. I put mine on a cart for storage and to move around.
I do a lot of bacon, and the 12 in will slice all the slabs I make without any trimming. I don't think a 10 inch would do that.

It took me about 5 months to find a Hobart 1612 slicer on Houston craigslist for 150$ that had the sharpening unit. Took me a day to clean it up, and had to order a couple of stones for the sharpener for about 30$. Works flawlessly for me each month when I slice up about 170 pounds of bacon. Take your time, it's worth the wait to get one of these bad boys that will slice anything you will ever want to slice

 

[retfr8flyr]

I bought a Chinese knockoff 10 inch slicer a couple years ago and it's done a good job for me, without any problems. https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-MTN-10...106309&hash=item4aad8bc52c:g:zVcAAOxy7MtRuvxC I went with the 10 inch because I have to move it to use it and the 12 inch is just too heave to be easily movable. The 10 inch has enough capacity to handle 90% of what I slice and the few times it will not, I just cut the items down to fit.

 

[73saint]

I’m looking at a used Berkel very much like this one, and I can get it for $400. I don’t want to be too hasty, but this sounds like a pretty good deal. And, it’s only 3 years old. There is a little rust on the blade but appears to be very light, and owner says it can be easily taken off with the sharpening stone. I have to think about this but welcome anyone’s input here.

 

[Lonzinomaker]

I would ask him to sharpen the blade to make sure the rust doesn't cause any nicks/defects in edge of blade. Replacement blades are about $100-$140.
I would also check to make sure the 4 screws holding the blade on are easy to remove and not stripped. They sometimes rust in and can be very hard to remove. The blade has to be removed to clean thoroughly.
Also the sharpening fixture and stones should be there. This is another expensive replacement item.
Other than those things, just check to make sure everything works smoothly, that the motor is quiet and runs smoothly, tray adjusts evenly and slides easily without any sticking.
$400 is not a bad price for that new of a machine if it is in pristine shape.

 

[rc4u]

i agree with post above that says get used one of much better quality and torque.. i bought a used global but would have bought other known brands if good deal.. i have used other new units that cost same and there's no comparison to the smooth and ease of working parts...